Congressional App Challenge

I am pleased to announce that my office is hosting the 2025 Congressional App Challenge.

The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging middle and high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education.

The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills. This competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience. We strongly encourage students of all skill levels to participate, enabling them to learn how to create their own apps.

The winner from my district, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will be featured on CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The winning app will also be eligible to be on display in the U.S. Capitol, honoring the winners from across the country.

Students are encouraged to register online here and submit their apps by October 30, 2025 at 9 a.m. PT. To learn more about the competition or to submit an app, please review the information below.

Eligibility Criteria

A student can compete in Rep. Adam Smith's Congressional App Challenge if they live or attend school in the Congressional District.
- Students can compete in a team of up to four students, as long as ½ of the team lives or goes to school in a competing Congressional District.
Students can submit any coded project—on any topic, built for any platform, using any programming language. This includes mobile apps, websites, games, robots, wearable tech, and more.
Students can submit an app they completed between October 24th, 2024-October 30th, 2025.
- Students can submit work they completed in the classroom last year, in an afterschool program, summer program, or other extracurricular activity.

You can find more information about the challenge here and watch our informational webinar here.

Deadlines

May 1, 2025: Challenge officially launches.
October 30, 2025 @ 9 AM PT: Deadline for students to register and submit their app online.
November 5, 2025: Judging period begins.
December 2025: Winners announced!

Please feel free to contact Triniti Gorbunova at triniti.gorbunova@mail.house.gov with questions about the Congressional App Challenge.